Author: Michael

Michael Goorjian describes his book as “philosophical fiction.” What elements of philosophical and/or spiritual exploration did you find in What Lies Beyond the Stars? In what ways do these ideas correspond to your own views or beliefs? Did the use of fiction make the philosophical aspects of the book more accessible or more difficult to relate to?
The novel is set in San Francisco’s Technology Industry, as well as in the rural coastal town of Mendocino, California. In what ways do these two settings reflect the main character Adam Sheppard’s struggle/s? What is your own relationship with technology like?...

A guide to hidden meanings, “Easter eggs,” and psychological exercises in What Lies Beyond the Stars
I’ve always liked treasure hunts—solving riddles, cracking codes, deciphering symbols, learning the etymology of words. I even like those damn click-bait posts about the secret meaning of corporate logos.
But none of these mental puzzles compare to the feeling I get when I discover there is a hidden meaning in a story I’m reading.
Years ago, I had a conversation with a friend about the story of Adam and Eve. Though I was not raised religiously, I attended a Catholic high school, which supplied me with a...

For me it started with the novel Demian by Herman Hesse.
I was meant to read it for an English class; however, I’m fairly certain that I skimmed the book then faked my way through the test (sorry Miss Kolsrud). But, as instructed, I had bought my own copy and thankfully held onto it.
It was several years later, after the prison camp of forced learning called high school was over, that I returned to Demian. With its spooky, Freudian cover art, I intuitively knew there was something important waiting for me within its pages. I was traveling in the Czech Republic...

Happy 90th Birthday Louise Hay!
The best job interview I ever had was with Louise Hay.
It was to direct a documentary about her life and the many incredible things she has accomplished. The problem was, at the time, I had never heard of her before.
On the drive down to Carlsbad to meet Louise, my friend Gay Hendricks, who had set up the meeting, did his best to fill me in on her.
“Her book You Can Heal Your Life sold 35 million copies,” Gay said.
“Wait, how many copies?”
“If you look up ‘all time best selling books in history’, along with The Bible,...

I take a deep breath then knock.
The door opens and I see Dr. Wayne Dyer standing there with a smile, “Good morning, Alan. Come on in.”
“Hi Dr. Johnson,” I say, nervously. “Sorry I’m a little late—”
“No, no worries. Have a seat.”
“Okay, cut.” I say, stopping the scene. “That was great. Let’s try it again, but this time, before we go to sit … what’s something you might do to make a patient feel at ease before a consultation?”
“Maybe … offer a glass of water?”
“Perfect. So then—we say hello, you notice I’m nervous, offer me the water, then we go sit....

Good, Cheap, Fast…Pick any two.
Although the adage is more from the business world, it will inevitably come up when chatting with other artists about film-making, writing, music, etc. And in a weird way, it seems to cuts right to the heart of a common struggle for most every creative person I know.
So, let’s pick.
GOOD – well, of course, I pick good. What kind of artist doesn’t want good? I guess maybe if I'm into mass-producing pastel landscapes for hospitals and office parks. Bad-art jokes aside, let's just assume that we're all shooting for good.
CHEAP – Unfortunately, most artists have...

So, I’m going to start blogging again.
“Uh…Why?,” I ask myself (and you may be joining me), “especially when there are so many voices out there, all yelling at the same time, eating away at what little silence there is left in the world.”
Well, I’m doing it because I have a number of things that I think are worth sharing. I don’t mean my political opinion, pictures of my chicken salad, or cat videos… although I am fond of cats.
I wrote a book and I’d like people to know about it. Formally titled, Beatrice, now retitled, What Lies Beyond the Stars....

Revising (aka a boring kind of madness)
The relationship between madness and genius has been well romanticized over the years both in society at large as well as my much larger ego. Mozart, Van Gogh, Kurt Cobain, all had the crazies, a gateway to those abstract lands where the sparks of originality can ignite the flames of immortal greatness…or some such malarkey.
Well, recently I’ve been learning about another type of creative madness, the less attractive younger brother of that sexy artistic insanity. This form of crazy can best be summed up by that commonly memed catch phrase – “madness is repeating...

Backstage at the TOTEM - Cirque du Soleil premiere in Santa Monica with Tsodikova Marina and Svetlana Tsodikova, sisters of my good friend Rustam Tsodikov.
Other members of my extended circus family in the show include the great Denise and Maximo. Go see it if you're in LA....